28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard du Corps

Here is the companion unit to the von Zastrow Cuirassier I posted yesterday. These are the Saxon Guard du Corps. I can't decide which of these two regiments is my favorite Napoleonic unit. I have had the chance to lead both units a few times at the Wargames Holiday Center (UK) and it was a pleasure to see them clip-clopping into battle.

You will see that Eureka have a nice casualty figure falling from his horse. Back in olden days you had to do this sort of thing yourself. What a time those folks had in the days before they invented TV and when they had to make their own entertainment ;-) You tell young people today and they don't believe you!

I still have one of each of these regiments in lead from Connoisseur miniatures. Painting those will be a big undertaking as they must be converted. Peter Guilder, the illustrious sculptor, didn't even make trumpeters.

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28mm Napoleonic Saxon von Zastrow Cuirassier

The Saxons had wonderful cavalry during the Napoleonic wars. I was inspired to paint the heavies by the Connoisseur miniatures Saxon heavy cavalry at the Wargames holiday center. The figures are virtually all conversions, very animated, with some figures falling. I actually have the Connoisseur figures somewhere to recreate what I saw all those years ago. I did a "trial run" on some British Hussars, swapping swords, chopping up figures, grinding off reigns and replacing them with thin copper wise - sheer madness.  I am still trying to block the memory of the many hours it took to grind off reigns. I think I spent a couple of days on it.

The Zastrow Cuirassier have have black metal breast plates. To simulate metal I painted them black, then used a graphite pencil to scuff them on the sides and along the ridge where light will hit. After all was done I went back and gloss varnished all the metal work and these breast plates. It is perhaps too subtle to show on camera.

The figures are from Eureka. Most are one piece castings. They are very nice. It was however tough to get nice photos as they are mostly in a Charrrrrrge! pose leaning forward.

These cavalry had silver bugles. They managed to save them at one point in Russia but they, and much else, was swallowed up by the great bear.

28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard Grenadiers

These lovely 28mm Napoleonic Saxon Guard Grenadiers have marched into my depot and joined my Saxon forces. The figures are from Elite miniatures. They are grenadier figures which I had to paint epaulets onto. I actually like my painted epaulets more than those you get molded onto figures.

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28mm Zulu Wars Rourkes drift set

This are the figures for Empress Miniatures 28mm Zulu Wars Rourkes drift set. There are also some buildings and sandbag/box/wagon barricades which I haven't started yet. There are more figures than pictured here. There are 40 plastic Zulus plus a couple of metals, including one mounted. I can't remember off hand how many British there are.

Note the guy in striped trousers. I found that he was wearing these on the day according to some sources. It adds a bit of interest to the set.

28mm Napoleonic French Sailors of the Guard

Yo, ho, ho and shiver me timbers, ship mates! Here I present you with the latest addition to my Napoleonic collection. These are the Sailors of the French Imperial Guard. They were present at the disastrous battle of Bailén.

The figures are mainly Old Glory. The mounted officer, and one foot officer per battalion, are from Connoisseur miniatures which seem to fit in with Old Glory. I have no idea why I painted two of these battalions. There is inflation everywhere these days!

The highlights on these figures are a bit too subtle to come out in pictures.

28mm Napoleonic Portuguese line

I bought the castings for the bulk of these figures from a friend about a dozen years ago. He told me that he had bought them from Doug Mason. It is nice to have something from the great man.There are piles of variety in these lovelies. I'm not sure which figures they were originally based upon. I got them painted years ago but lacked a mounted Colonel. That Colonel has now been furnished from Elite miniatures and the boys are ready for war.

The Portuguese Legion

The Portuguese Legion was in the service of Napoleon from 1807-1814. You have to credit Boney for a serious boost to the Napoleonic miniatures market. There are loads of nice contingents to paint up. It seems that wherever he went he managed to drum up new and colourful units. Perhaps some early toy industrialists slipped him a few shekels?


I now have three battalions of these boys in brown. 

28mm Napoleonic Pavlov Grenadiers (Elite miniatures)

The metal is from Elite miniatures. I've sixteen painted infantry and grenadier battalions already. I believe I have about 70 more waiting to paint up. This is going to be a long war!

There are plenty of gems in the Elite miniatures catalogue. I think these are lovely.

Onward, for Beer and Pretzels! My Bavarian Guard Grenadiers.

At last these stalwarts have been added to my Bavarian army. Bavarian Guard Grenadiers are not easy to find. I bought the majority of the figures from Bicorne miniatures three years ago at the Salute show in London (they are from the Connoisseur range). The nice chaps at the Bicorne stand explained I needed to add a mounted officer, a drummer and a standard bearer - probably from Elite miniatures Old Guard Chasseurs - as Connoisseur don't make these. In the end I bought a Guard Gendarme officer (Connoisseur), a standard bearer from Connoisseur (Guard Chasseur) and a Guard Chasseur drummer from Elite miniatures. Painted and based they all work together OK. Connoisseur/Bicorne/Firing line have vast ranges which vary in style. But the faces, dimensions and size of these Bavarian Guard Grenadiers seem to work well with Elite Guard Chasseurs and the other Connoisseur bits. I only just got around to putting everything together and getting these based up. Part of the delay was due to me deciding to make this a 36 man unit rather than a 32, which is what I had bought figures for initially.

The Guard Gendarme officer didn't have a plume, cords or flounders. I made the plume with a bit of wire, drilled into the bearskin. The cords were made by braiding very thin copper wire. The flounders were made with green stuff over a bit of epoxy resin which drizzled down from the right side of chappies bearskin. This is the sort of thing people did ye olden times to keep themselves amused.

The figures are based for "In The Grand Manner". I used some Silfor tufts, from Warlord Games, and some static grass, from Scenic Express on the bases. The rest is ground up sea shells dusted over PVA glue.

 

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